


no good deed goes unpunished

by Eliana_debrey



Series: rare pair Jason Todd [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-War, Scars, Tags May Change, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:53:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29186589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliana_debrey/pseuds/Eliana_debrey
Summary: When too many dead children are found at Gotham's harbor, Dick Grayson comes to find Jason Todd in New York where he started to live two years ago. Where he waited for his family to come and find him, to forgive him.Soon enough, Jason realizes he forgot that no good deed goes unpunished.
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Roman Sionis/Jason Todd
Series: rare pair Jason Todd [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110830
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28
Collections: Jason Rare Pair Challenge





	no good deed goes unpunished

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zoeleo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoeleo/gifts).



> Hello,  
> I hope you'll like this work, it is based on one of my whumptober 2020 fill (day 16 forced to beg), I want it to be short and I'll try to keep it under 10 chapters :)  
> See you in the comments, thanks in advance for the support.
> 
> Also, Zoeleo this one is for you :) <3

Jason feels like it’s a bad day. He has this sixth sense since he came back from France, he knows when something is up.

His white top is sticking to his back as he keeps running through Central Park, he avoids two men running with tennis rackets going to the east part of the park, their shoes making the pebbles crack under them is the only thing troubling the silence of the early morning.

He doesn’t see people that often at this hour of the day, most of them are still sleeping. Jason doesn’t sleep…not anymore. He can’t close his eyes without seeing bodies buried in the mud, hearings explosions around him. So he runs, every day until he stops hearing ghosts. Until the shootings stop around him and he can recognize the car starting in the streets until he can remember the horses are here to pull carriages instead of bodies.

The war didn’t stop for him, it’s probably his punishment. He isn’t the only one, people used to talk about it in the pubs before, they could share all that stuff instead of letting it rot deep inside their core. The pubs are closed now, people don’t talk about the war, no one wants to talk about it, better ignore it, better not think of the neighbor’s son blown up in front of you.

Jason stops, he can’t breathe, he pushed too far which means he still needs to run, he needs his body to take over his brain, to shut the different signals, and then only then he can stop running and head home to take his clean clothes and then go to the public baths. Jason looks up, his hands on his knees as he tries to breathe again, he sees small colorful dots dancing around. He closes his eyes, focuses on breathing, pushing down the nausea. He starts running again.

Rain forces him to head back.

His building door is made out of heavy wood, it’s the only thing remotely thick in this complex. He can hear his neighbor snoring from the other side of the wall, at least, the old man doesn’t wake when Jason screams himself out of a terrible nightmare. Jason knows there are at least four children in the flat on top of his own because he hears their name being screamed constantly by their mother.

Jason counts the step until he gets to his floor, there are sixty-eight, and the thirty-first is cracked in the middle, everyone knows so they all avoid it, but this morning the step was moved from how it usually rests. Someone tripped on it. Someone who doesn’t live here. Someone who got caught by the rain from the traces Jason sees on the ground. It’s a man. A man who stopped at the sixth floor, Jason’s floor.

Jason thinks he is going to become the new circus boy of the family, he knew it. He had this gut feeling all day that something was wrong, something was going to happen. He should work as a seer or something because when he looks up from his shoes, Jason’s eyes meet his brother’s.

Dick is staring at him from under his wet bangs, they drip slowly against his nose, drops fall on the ground in front of Jason’s door. He is holding himself like a cop, and he looks like an idiot. Dick raises an eyebrow as Jason ponders the idea of turning back and acting like he didn’t see his older brother. With a sigh, he heads to his door.

“You’re up early,” Dick says watching Jason playing with his keys.

“You too,” Jason answers rolling his eyes.

“Can you open your door?”

“I think we can talk about whatever brings you here outside.”

His home is disgusting, he hasn’t clean for at least two weeks and still has dishes that need to be washed on his table. Of course, he doesn’t want Dick to see the state of his apartment.

Dick crosses his arms over his chest, he looks everything but pleased, and it’s only because Jason has seen Bruce angry before that he doesn’t apologize immediately. Dick clicks his tongue against his palate, he uncrosses his arms.

“Can you please open your door, Jason?”

It doesn’t really sound like a question. Jason still takes his chances.

“No?”

“I’m sure your neighbors would love to hear what I’m about to tell you, but my superior would like to keep this private.” Meaning Bruce is going to rip Jason a new one if what Dick is supposed to tell him ends up in someone else’s ear.

“Alright, just… I don’t have Alfred to make everything clean around. No judgment,” Dick’s eyes crinkle in a mischievous look.

“You should see the state of mine before saying anything,” Jason’s big brother answers.

“Yeah, well I didn’t,” he has never seen Dick’s new place. Not like he was ever invited anyway. Not like he could step in Gotham even if he had been.

His place is small, but Jason likes small, his place with his mom was small, it’s safer this way, easier to heat, easier to move out when needed. Probably isn’t half of Dick’s place, it’s smaller than the living room of the manor, of that he is aware.

Dick doesn’t look around, he heads straight for the kitchen and sits. So it’s an emergency, probably nothing about the family or he would have told him already. Hmm, probably not, they, after all, never told him about Tim’s wedding, he still wouldn’t know if the news didn’t cover it. It stung at the time, but Jason lives with it, Tim’s suit was silly anyway.

“What do you want, Dick? No… sorry, what do you need?” Jason sees Dick biting the inside of his cheeks, wow, that difficult then.

Jason shreds his drenched top for a more comfortable inside pullover. His trousers are sticking to his legs but he doesn’t want to be buck naked in front of Dick.

“I need your help with something.”

“I figured, what do you need my help with?”

“Roman Sionis.”

Ah, that’s a name that brings back memories, not good ones, still… Jason changes his mind, if his brother comes to talk about Roman in his home, then he’ll see his crack. He drops his pants and underwear to take dry ones. Dick looks away.

“What did he do?”

“What didn’t he do, you mean,” Dick corrects. “He opened new businesses.” Jason scoffs. “What?”

“Well, you can’t say you’re surprised. Sionis is a shark, if there is profit, there is profit. A smart shark with that. Now, if you’re here to ask me where his hidden pubs are, I’d say I’m surprised you lost your touch, big brother,” Dick purses his lips and sighs through his nose. Jason hides his laugh.

“So you know he has been dealing with alcohol.”

“Everybody deals with alcool, Dickie,“ Jason says shaking his head. The prohibition pissed off a lot of people. Especially mobsters like Roman.

“So you also know that he started human trafficking and drugs?” Dick looks weirdly satisfied to see Jason frowning.

“Okay, spill.”

“He started a few months ago. He’s been dealing with the Chineses for the past year with opium, and with the Russians for the children,” it doesn’t go past Dick that Jason’s fist tightens. “And now, he is talking with the Irish for the booze.”

“Feels like the start of a terrible joke. It’s only missing the Frenchs and the Italians.”

“Don’t hex us, please. It’s already hell in Gotham, we don’t need all the mafioso to get in this disgusting mix.”

“All Gotham’s crime lords talking to each other. Must be a Tuesday,” Dick glares at him. “But, Dickiebird, all of this doesn’t add up to me. So if you’d be so kind as to hurry the fuck up so I can reject you and leave you to go on your merry way.”

“You don’t even know what I want.”

“No,” Jason nods. “But I know I won’t like it and that I’ll say no. Don’t take it too personally, it’s just that there is this thing that keeps me from crossing Gotham’s border. How do you call it?” Jason looks up and drums his fingers on his chin. “Ah, yes, my own father’s threat to arrest me if I ever step back in his city. I know you’re smart, you’ll see where the problem might be.”

Dick looks down, Jason can practically feel his brother’s cheeks burning. Overall, Dick didn’t do anything to him. Well, it’s more like he didn’t do anything concerning Jason. He had his own life at the time and was busy getting promoted in Blüdhaven far away from Gotham, far away from Bruce’s anger. Jason didn’t have the possibility not to come back to the manor after the war, didn’t have the possibility to escape Bruce’s disappointed look. It was even worse when Jason started working under him as a detective. Bruce didn’t forgive easily and after the Garzonas fiasco, the family dinners were stuffy.

“Look, Jason…”

“No, I don’t want to listen to half-baked apologies when you’re only goal is to use me to get what you want. Don’t be a hypocrite, Dick, we both know you’re not like that.”

“But I’m really sorry, I should have been here. I should have tried a little harder. And after what happened two years ago, I…” Jason growls.

“You’re going to have to choose your next words really carefully here, Dickie. Or you can leave New York and never come back. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Dick swallows slowly. “We found young boys and girls at the pier, dead. Half a dozen the past two months, all of them with the same whorehouse tattoo. It’s Dimitrov.”

“Then why don’t you stop Dimitrov?”

“Because,” Dick says getting annoyed, “if you want to stop the leak, you close the tap first, and Roman has become a very important tap, the last few years.”

“You have a way with words, Dick. I’m impressed.” Jason mocks.

“Can we please come back to Sionis?” the older man answers throwing his hands in the air.

“If you can stop beating around the bush for five minutes and tell me what you want from me, maybe?”

“I need someone inside, someone that can give me some information.

“And you can’t do it because?”

“Sionis knows me. Jay, please you’re the only one that can do it. We need you for this case, it’s been hell, and you can help us we would appreciate it greatly.”

“I’m sure you and Bruce can find someone better. Now, if you’re done I have things to do.”

“Like what? Finding who cheated on who? Finding which mayor does or doesn’t like men? You’re better than that Jason,” his brother puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Is it my fault Bruce made it so I couldn’t work as an officer?” Jason snarls pushing Dick’s strong hand.

“I know you would rather do something else.”

“Do you?”

“If you could please let me talk for one minute, Jason!” Dick explodes, his younger brother looks down to the ground. “Good, thank you. I need you in Gotham, you have connections, you know the people and the city. No one knows you're with us, and that gives you the perfect cover. So would you please help me and the poor kids getting killed?”

Jason doesn’t answer immediately, he looks away, this time his cheeks are burning from the shame of being scolded, he scratches the base of his skull looking away.

Dick smiles, his brother looks exactly like he did when he was only a boy who got scolded by Alfred or Bruce, even the small biting of his lips is the same, only the skin pulling as his top lip is different, showing a bit more of teeth. Dick turns his gaze away, he still can’t look at it.

“Okay. I’ll try, but you know how Sionis is, he doesn’t let anyone close to him easily, I won’t be able to get any pieces of information from him. Roman likes to pay close to his chest.” Dick cocks his head to the side looking amused.

“I don’t want you to become his right-hand man or his secretary, Jay. I just need rumors from the inside, what the underlings say, who is helping where. I trust you, we trust you.”

Jason looks up to his brother, he sees only honesty in Dick’s expression, his brother really needs him.

Bruce and Dick need him.

Jason hides his smile the best he can, he doesn’t want to show how happy he feels to finally be trusted enough for something, how his chest gets warm only thinking about Gotham and going back home.

“So, do I get my old room back at home, or do you have something else ready? I can’t really come every day from New York you know,” Dick grimaces.

“The manor is going to be difficult, we’d like to keep it between us, no leak, that’s why you’ll only talk to me if Roman or someone else decides to follow you it would be pretty suspicious to go back to the manor. I found you a room in Park Row.”

Jason tries not to look too dejected, but it’s not easy. He has missed Alfred and even his siblings, knowing that he’ll be in the same city as them without being able to talk to them isn’t going to be easy, but he’ll do it for the sake of the mission.

After being thrown out of Gotham his siblings didn’t dare to go against Bruce and never came to see him. It hurt more than he had braced himself for, but he had managed for two years without them, without anyone but himself. He’ll see them soon, once he shows them —shows Bruce— he can be trusted.

“When do you want me to start?“

Jason traveled by car before, but he has to admit that Dick’s car is a work of art. He traces the seat with his finger slowly, the wind in his hair makes his curls fly around his face. Dick is focused, he hasn’t looked away from the road for a long time.

“So, how does a detective for Gotham police manage to pay this monster?” Jason asks already knowing the answer. He hides his face away from his brother to look at the scenery.

“It’s a gift, from Bruce,” Dick says slowly, it’s like pulling his teeth. “It was for my birthday,” he adds quickly. “I told him I didn’t want it but he insisted, you know how he gets.” Jason nods.

“Do you remember when he forced me to accept the turntable? Wouldn’t even hear no,” Dick throws his head back laughing.

“Yeah, he is stubborn, that’s for sure.”

“I still have it,” Jason says. “There is my name engraved on it, even after all the bullshit I couldn’t let go of that.”

“Well, I remember you crying when you received it.”

“That was a lot of money, I couldn’t understand why he would spend it on me.”

“That’s how he shows he cares,” and wasn’t that true.

Dick doesn’t talk after that, he keeps driving without looking at Jason, they know it’s better like that, sooner or later one of them is going to say something, make the other angry and it’s been too long since they last saw each other. Jason doesn’t want to argue because he knows Dick is going to side with Bruce, and Dick doesn’t even want to start because he has missed his younger brother, they fall into an uncomfortable silence that no one wants to break.

Jason is ready to talk, but the moment he opens his mouth he sees Gotham. He hadn’t even realized that he had missed the city. Seeing the few buildings, the skyscrapers, as they say, he feels a string pulling at his heart. Without realizing Jason is leaning forwards to try and take on the sight, how she has changed in a couple of years, the lights everywhere, the new bridges. Jason is mesmerized.

Dick laughs from his seat, stealing a glance at Jason. He sees his brother’s mouth hanging open, and looking everywhere, turning his head back to look behind them as they pass the first bridge.

“Aaah,” Jason exhales, “I missed this,” Jason says eyes closed, wind ruffling his hair.

Dick slows down, he sees his brother finally. Jason is grinning like he always used to. The sight brings Dick back in time, before Jason followed him in the army, before Bruce’s screaming contest, before Alfred’s phone call two years ago. He sees the twelve-year-old that was running around the manor trying to escape his brother’s teasing.

“I missed you too,” Dick whispers to the wind.


End file.
